Artist description mostly instrumental...with some vocals. lots of slide guitar, analog sounds, pump organ, acoustic bass etc

Music Style tropical noir/hawaiian groove/canadian world alternative folk/slide guitar

Musical Influences Waits, Cooder, Frisell, The Band, Medeski Martin Wood, Lindley, O'Hara

Similar Artists mostly instrumental, but tom waits meets ry cooder meets bill frisell meets mm o'hara - what a weird meeting room.

Artist History 4 cds, based in Toronto

Group Members Don Rooke, Michael White, Jorn Andersen, David Piltch, Mary Margaret O'Hara, John Sheard, Hugh Marsh

Instruments national steel, weissenborn, lap steel, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass, drums, vocals, violin, steel drum, conch shell, pump organ

Albums Puerto Angel. Chasing Grace. Desert Cure. Joyous Porous.

Press Reviews Guitar Player, November 98: The third disc from this mostly instrumental Toronto combo firmly establishes Don Rooke as one of acoustic guitar's greatest unsung heroes. Playing lap-style slide on historic Weissenborn and Kona guitars, he alternately evokes the smooth perfection of Jerry Douglas, the languid soul of Ry Cooder, and the dreamtime whimsy of Bill Frisell. But such comparisons are mere reference points - Rooke is a startling original who seems constitutionally incapable of resorting to slide cliches. His tone is drop-dead gorgeous, his technique mirror-smooth, yet he has a mischievous chromatic streak that keeps things from getting too comfortable. The other musicians are formidable too, especially Monte Horton, whose keening electric work is a perfect counterweight for mellow-toned Rooke. Their rhythm section gravitates toward easy, Caribbean-flavoured grooves, but they, too, spike the punch with piquant dissonance - is there such a thing as "tropical noir"? Fretwork of the first order, well worth seeking out. -- Joe Gore ------------- New York Times 'Treats for Off-the-Menu Tastes': Don Rooke's work on various slide guitars, from the kona to the lap steel to something called a Sonar Zombie, recalls the erudite ramblings of Bill Frisell. This ensemble (which sometimes includes the vocalist Mary Margaret O'Hara) surrounds his playing with sunset tones. --Ann Powers Jan 14/99 ----------------- NOW Magazine, Sept ‘98 Rating: NNNN Pick of the Week It’s hard to imagine The Henrys in a rush to do much of anything, and that’s a good thing. Over three records, the group’s learned to put that pace, or lack of it, to good use, letting the songs unfold gradually without ever losing the plot or getting sleepy. As the title suggests, the local quartet’s third disc finds the group supplanting the Hawaiian ambience of 1996’s Chasing Grace sessions with an even more understated Dust Bowl feel. Organ, trumpet and softly blown conch shell are added to the diaphanous arrangements, and Mary Margaret O’Hara returns...but the real focus remains Don Rooke’s slide guitars (Kona, Weissenborn, dobro and lap steel) weaving in and out of the languid soundscapes and hinting at pop melodies without ever becoming that contained. -- Matt Galloway ------------------ Buscadero Magazine, Italy, Nov. 98: ...Rooke ha uno stile personale, suona in modo pulito ma crea dei fraseggi diversificati, cercando sempre risoluzioni nuove per la sua musica, lasciando da parte le ovvieta per esibirsi in uno stile oltremodo particolare. Un musicista fuori dalle convenzioni ed una band che, di conseguenza, suona in modo 'diverso'.... Chiusura impegnativa per un disco di non facile approccio ma di indubbia bellezza. La musica e anche impegno e Don Rooke lo sa benissimo. Da ascoltare: perfetto per la serate invernali che si stanno appropinquando. * * * * -- Paolo Caru ------------- "How can Toronto's finest lounge-lizard instrumental band follow up last year's debut, "Puerto Angel"? Simple - with an album that stretches their musical adeptness and boundaries still further...Plenty more of the sinuous slide guitars and torque-wrench tight rhythms that are easy to listen to but a long, long way from Easy Listening...The compositions and playing are impeccable...Make this one of your essential albums." Ian Kearey, Folk Roots Magazine, London, U.K., October 1996 -----------------------

Location Toronto, ON - Canada

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